New Look 6235:Baby Shark Dressing Gown

How adorable is this! I'm not sure Master Fox needs a dressing gown quiet yet but why would he not want this adorable shark one?!?

The pattern is New Look 6235 and it comes with two dressing gown variations as well as knit Jersey pants and top. Of course I chose the pattern for the shark dressing gown, but the jersey pants will no doubt come in very handy, especially as Mr Fox has donated a couple more t-shirts to the sewing cause! 

Because he can't even sit up yet I decided to make the dressing gown in one of the larger sizes so he can wear it whilst sitting about the house. It's about 18lb which roughly equates to 3-6 months, but I anticipate us fitting in this by autumn. It does feel a bit on the large side though but it will give him plenty of room to wrap himself up and grow into. 

I didn't want to spend a whole lot of extra money making this up so I decided to use this project as a bit of a stash buster. I used some grey fleece (formally a blanket) and some plain white cotton to line (formally a bedsheet!) which I already had cluttering up the craft room. They are great for the project, the fleece is warm and snugly and the cotton perfect for next to the skin, warm in the winter, cooler in the summer. However if I was to purchase fabric to make this it would be great with a soft toweling lining to dry off after a lovely warm bath.

I only made a couple of very minor amends to the pattern. I stitched black fleece circles to the hood before attaching the lining instead of using buttons - babies and buttons are not the best combo in my opinion. I also omitted stuffing the teeth as the fleece fabric is pretty sturdy already. 

The pattern was very simple and easy to follow. As others have mentioned the sleeves are a little complex when finishing off but if you read the instructions clearly it makes sense. There are minimal pieces to this, they go together well and as its loose fitting there is no need to get a perfect size. Even the tie was easy to do. I will definitely make this again either in a bigger size or as a gift for any future mums to be that I know. 

I was inspired to make this by seeing That's Sew Amy's version on the Minerva blogger network Blog post. I love it though, it's definitely my kind of sewing :) 

Mr Fox has a fear of sharks but he surely can't be scared of the cute little Master Fox when he is wearing this!

Fit for a King (or Queen) Crown Tutorial

 

You will hopefully member my felt crown post here; well here is the long awaited tutorial and PDF so you can make your very own! 

You will need:

• Your pattern which can be downloaded here
• Some felt in main colour (yellow or grey are good crown colours but don't limit yourselves)
• Scrap felt pieces in either 3 or 5 colours
• Thread to match your main felt colour
• Interfacing
• Scissors
• Some Velcro, or poppers if preferred

Step 1. Cut out two pieces from the template on the fold using your main felt colour. You will also need to cut one piece in the interfacing.  On one of the felt pieces you will need to trace and cut out the holes, this will be the front piece and the one without the holes the back piece. Now attach the interfacing to the back piece. Be careful not to melt acrylic felt with the iron if using iron on interfacing. Sew in facing will work fine.

Step 2. Using I you scrap felt cut out 5 squares big enough to cover the holes and leave a bit of seam allowance. 

 

Step 3. Carefully top stitch around the edge of the circle on the front of the crown making sure to catch the scrap on the underside. You will now be able to see the colour of the scrap piece through the front of the crown like a little sparkling gem. 

 

Step 4. Place the front and back crown pieces together with the right sides facing out and the interfacing and scraps on the inside. Top stitch all the way around the outside of the crown piece to secure the front and back together.

Step 6. You might now find that your edges aren't totally aligned. Not a problem, just take a good pair of scissors and trim the edges so there are no uneven sides.

Step 7. Sew your Velcro to the tabs at the end with one piece on the inside and one on the outside so when they are out together you get a flush circle. I would recommend hand sewing these on so you can't see the stitches on the other side.

And that's it. Now you can give the crown to your little prince or princess who can happily play dress up. Please note that I have a tiny head and this doesn't fit on mine. If you need to make the crown a bit bigger my suggestion would be to increase the size of the end tab to 4 inches to allow for more head to go inside :) 

Thank you very much for visiting, show me pictures of your crowns when they are done. I would like to see the different colour combinations people go for.